WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 8 (2025)

Corbin analyzes fantasy football WR/CB matchups to find sleepers, targets, avoids for Week 8 of 2025. His WRs to upgrade based on cornerback matchups data.

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 8 of the 2025 fantasy football season. We have a decent sample of six weeks in the offensive and defensive advanced metrics. Injuries have taken a toll on the wide receiver and cornerback positions. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. We're using a similar data-driven process to quantify the offensive and defensive matchups based on underlying metrics.

The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive players, the defensive matchups and coverages sometimes take a backseat. However, the goal of this weekly column is to cover the potential wide receiver upgrades and downgrades based on the weekly WR/CB matchups for fantasy football.

Most teams mix in defensive backs all over the field, with very few cornerbacks shadowing an opposing top receiver. The main takeaway involves not overreacting to a weaker matchup if the receiver is a high-end to near-elite target earner and producer in their respective offense. Based on the weekly matchups, we'll use various tools to find several matchup upgrades and downgrades for the opposing receivers.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

WR vs. CB Chart Details

The WR/CB Matchup Chart is back again for 2025! You can find it below! We'll have the most favorable and unfavorable matchups based on several metrics. We used weighted averages to create an adjusted offensive and defensive score. Some inputs include yards per route run, fantasy points per route run, and targets per route run.

We'll have a weekly matchup score with those adjusted scores by subtracting the defensive number from the offensive one. The caveat would be the limited data due to injured offensive and defensive players, possibly skewing the matchups to be more or less favorable. Since this is a newer process, there might be some slight tweaks along the way. With more data from the 2025 season, we'll learn what matchups to target and ones to temper expectations.

We're at a point in the season where we can understand a player's role and usage based on the underlying metrics, which should inform how to project players moving forward. Players can underperform and outperform in a given matchup based on luck and skill factors. There are multiple layers to consider in these matchups, especially since team defenses tend to shift their coverages based on the opposing offenses.

How to Use The WR/CB Chart

WR/CB Matchups Chart: Alphabetical

Below, we'll see the WR/CB matchups for Week 8 sorted alphabetically. The Cardinals, Lions, Jaguars, Raiders, Rams, and Seahawks have a bye week during Week 8. We also have players marked differently to indicate a new (bold) or injured player (orange text) to monitor. I also noted the magenta colored players as ones that the teams list as safeties, but they tend to cover receivers in the slot.

We added additional team-level metrics to the formula to account for team context. The red numbers indicate a more challenging matchup for the receiver, and the green numbers mean favorable matchups (or the defender allows a high rate of the given metric).

The visual below shows team offenses from the Atlanta Falcons to the Dallas Cowboys.

The visual below shows offenses from the Denver Broncos to the New England Patriots.

The visual below shows offenses from the New Orleans Saints to the Washington Commanders.

Best Projected Week 8 WR/CB Matchups

Worst Projected Week 8 WR/CB Matchups

Week 8 WR/CB Matchup Upgrades

Rome Odunze vs. Marlon Humphrey

Odunze leads the Bears' pass catchers in air yards share (42 percent) and first-read target share (27.4 percent). That's ahead of DJ Moore in both, with Luther Burden III and Olamide Zaccheaus tying Odunze with a 25 percent target per route rate.

Nine receivers boasted a 40 percent air yards share and a 25 percent first-read target rate in 2025. That includes Odunze, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, DK Metcalf, Garrett Wilson, Ricky Pearsall, Malik Nabers, and Tyreek Hill. That's elite usage for Odunze, as he ascends into WR1 status.

The Ravens' defense employs man coverage at the fourth-highest rate, behind only the Browns, Giants, and Broncos. Meanwhile, the Ravens allow the 14th-most fantasy points per dropback while using man coverage. They've also been allowing the 11th-highest fantasy points per dropback while using zone coverage in 2025, meaning opposing offenses continue to shred the Ravens' defense.

Caleb Williams targets Odunze on 41 percent of his routes against man coverage while producing the fourth-highest yards per route run and boasting the second-highest rate among receivers with 10 or more routes run. After two down games with four receptions and 63 yards combined against the Commanders and Saints, Odunze should be ready to bounce back and feast in Week 7.

Marlon Humphrey allows the fourth-most fantasy points per route, fifth-most yards per route, and the 15th-highest passer rating allowed. Even the individual matchup for Odunze looks friendly.

Keenan Allen vs. Byron Murphy Jr.

Ladd McConkey vs. Jeff Okudah

Fantasy managers have been frustrated with the Chargers' receiver usage, especially with McConkey. Allen and McConkey have been underperforming their expected fantasy points per game, while the veteran leads the team with a 28 percent target rate. Quentin Johnston might see the production regress after nearly averaging three more fantasy points over expected per game (FPOE/G).

The Vikings' pass defense allows the eighth-most fantasy points per dropback while using man coverage 19.5 percent of the time (No. 23). Specifically, they prefer using two-high looks at the highest rate (70.3 percent), yet allow the seventh-most fantasy points per dropback. McConkey leads the Chargers in Average Separation Score against man coverage while trailing Johnston (2.77) in yards per route run (1.88).

Against two-high looks, Allen leads the Chargers in target rate (26 percent), with McConkey in second (22 percent). McConkey (1.31) and Allen (1.94) trail Oronde Gadsden (2.12) in yards per route run. However, McConkey (25.7 percent) and Allen (24.3 percent) lead the team in first-read target share against two-high looks, with Johnston at 20.3 percent.

The Vikings also bring pressure at the fourth-highest rate. That might be a problem if the Chargers' offensive line struggles to pass protect. That's evident in Justin Herbert, being 30th in adjusted yards per attempt, 36th in completion rate over expected, and 26th in catchable target percentage against pressure.

McConkey faces Jeff Okudah, who allows the third-most fantasy points per route run. Meanwhile, Allen projects to line up with Byron Murphy Jr., who often covers the slot and allows the 22nd-most fantasy points per route run. With so many teams on bye in Week 8, Allen and McConkey might already be must-start options. The data support Allen and McConkey being in upgraded WR/CB matchups.

Troy Franklin vs. DaRon Bland

Courtland Sutton leads the Broncos' pass catchers in air yards share, first read target rate, and yards per route run. Franklin has been running routes at the second-highest rate, with similar usage metrics, evidenced by his 13.7 expected fantasy points per game. The Broncos have been deploying Franklin in the slot most often, making him a WR/CB matchup upgrade for Week 8.

Over the past few weeks, DaRon Bland has been covering the slot most often for the Cowboys. The Cowboys' pass defense employs zone coverage at the second-highest rate, yet opposing offenses continue to feast. For context, the Cowboys' pass defense allows the third-most fantasy points per dropback against zone, with the second-highest fantasy points per dropback when facing man coverage.

Franklin nearly matches Sutton in target per route rate against man coverage, while being less targeted when facing zone coverages. Interestingly, Bland ranks middle of the pack, with the 33rd-most fantasy points per route and 31st in yards per route run. Specifically in the slot, Bland allows the fifth-highest yards per slot coverage snap while allowing the sixth-lowest passer rating over the past three weeks.

The Cowboys use Cover 3 at the sixth-highest rate. Sutton (24 percent) and Evan Engram (26 percent) lead the team in target per route rate against Cover 3. Franklin ranks second on the team in yards per route run against Cover 3 (1.84), behind Engam (2.03) and Sutton (1.75), close behind.

Franklin might have been riding the bench, but he just saw a season-high 10 targets and the second-highest target share (21 percent) in 2025. We'll want a piece of the Broncos' passing offense against the Cowboys.

Week 8 WR/CB Matchup Downgrades

Jerry Jeudy vs. Christian Gonzalez

Jeudy has been the biggest underperformer in actual versus expected fantasy points per game in 2025 among pass catchers with a 10 percent route percentage. He might present a buy-low opportunity if we had slightly more confidence in the situation. Theoretically, we should trust the usage, but Jeudy's talent and usage might not be as optimistic as Chris Olave, who was a WR/CB matchup upgrade in Week 7.

Since Dillon Gabriel took over in Week 5, David Njoku (27 percent) and Harold Fannin Jr. (24 percent) led the team in target rate among Browns' pass catchers with 10 or more targets. That indicates Gabriel prefers to target the tight end position, with Jeudy garnering a 20 percent target rate in Weeks 5-7.

The Patriots' pass defense deploys man coverage at the 10th-highest percentage while allowing the third-most fantasy points per dropback. They specifically use Cover 1 at the eighth-highest rate in 2025. It might be weakness against weakness because Fannin leads the Browns' pass catchers in yards per route run against man coverage among their top targeted and healthy options.

When we filter by Cover 1, Jeudy (22 percent) and Fannin (23 percent) nearly match each other in target per route rate. Meanwhile, Jeudy produces 1.07 yards per route compared to Fannin at 1.29 versus Cover 1.

Christian Gonzalez missed time earlier in the season with an injury, but he boasts the 10th-lowest fantasy points per route run. Even if Gonzalez doesn't shadow Jeudy, it might be another underwhelming performance in Week 8.

Darnell Mooney vs. Jack Jones

We finally saw glimpses of Mooney making plays in Week 7, especially deep downfield. That's evident in Mooney averaging the second-highest air yards per target (23.5) behind Alec Pierce in Week 7. Mooney's targeted air yards rank ninth among qualified pass catchers in 2025, suggesting the Falcons prefer to target him downfield. That gives Mooney a volatile role with some upside.

Mooney ranks second behind Drake London in air yards share, first-read target percentage, and expected fantasy points per game. The Falcons face a beatable Dolphins' defense, allowing the most fantasy points per dropback against man coverage while using man at the 12th-highest rate.

Kyle Pitts Sr. leads the team in yards per route run against man, with London posting an elite 3.64 yards per route against zone coverage. Mooney garners a team-high 38 percent target rate against man coverage while performing poorly in yards per route run.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins allow the 11th-most fantasy points per dropback against zone coverage (No. 22). Specifically, they like using two-high looks at the fifth-highest rate, yet opposing offenses average the third-highest fantasy points per dropback. Unfortunately, Mooney garners an 18 percent target rate and produces 1.08 yards per route run against two-high.

London (31 percent, 2.38 yards per route) and Ray-Ray McCloud III (22 percent, 1.92 yards per route) lead the in target rate and yards per route run against two-high looks. London is a lock, but Mooney might be volatile until the usage matches the production.

Mooney projects to face Jack Jones, allowing the 10th-lowest fantasy points per route and the third-lowest yards per route run. As a team, the Dolphins rank 30th in PFF Coverage Grade, ahead of the Commanders and Raiders, suggesting we might want to target the teams facing Miami through the air.

Each week, at least one player performs well in the WR/CB matchup downgrades section, and Mooney might do that for us in Week 8. That's why we dig beyond the individual player matchups to uncover other pros and cons.

Overall, it's a mixed bag for Mooney because the underlying metrics suggest caution. However, he remains a valuable asset because of his usage, and the Dolphins have been beatable through the air, allowing the second-most fantasy points per dropback in 2025.

Wan'Dale Robinson vs. Cooper DeJean

Without Nabers, Robinson ranks second on the team in target rate (23 percent), close to Darius Slayton (24 percent) in Weeks 5-7. Among Giants' pass catchers with 10 or more targets in Weeks 5-7, Robinson leads the team in yards per route run (1.99) while being the first read on 25 percent of his targets.

When we remove Nabers from the equation, Robinson projects as the top option for Jaxson Dart, as he runs a ton of slot routes while having decent usage. He faces an Eagles' pass defense, playing man coverage at the ninth-highest rate while allowing the 25th-most fantasy points per dropback.

Robinson has been producing relatively equally in yards per route run against man and zone coverages. However, as a slot receiver, Robinson tends to be targeted at a higher rate when facing zone coverage. Cooper DeJean allowed the 16th-lowest fantasy points per route and the fifth-lowest yards per route run in 2025.

Among cornerbacks who cover the slot, DeJean allows the eighth-lowest yards per slot coverage snap and the 14th-lowest passer rating against. It makes the Week 8 WR/CB matchup for Robinson and DeJean one of the toughest ones on the slate.

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